Belagavi Smart city SWOT analysis

Belagavi, at the height of 717 meters above sea level has a pleasant all year round climate. It is cradled by six rivers – Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Markandaya, Hiranakeshi, Tamraparani and Mahadayi which recharge its aquifers and water bodies and ensure adequate water availability.

Belagavi is extremely well positioned, being equidistant from Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad and just about 100 kilometers to the Western coastline, near Goa.

Belagavi has excellent connectivity by rail, road and air. It is situated on that stretch of the ‘Golden Quadrilateral’ that is acknowledged to be the best. It has NH4 and 4A and SH-20 running through it. Its airport now has an international link to UAE, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Belagavi has 10000 acres of industrial area developed under NIMZ which is acknowledged in the whole region for its industrial skills, especially in crankshaft and camshaft turning, industrial castings and forging, machinery, hydraulics and for alumina and aluminum manufacturing.

The feather in Belagavi’s cap is the Aerospace SEZ – India’s first – to which Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed-Martin and others have stakes in aircraft manufacturing operations.

Belagavi’s traditional strength in manufacturing Shahapur Silk Sarees is now augmented by power looms, on which 30,000 people are now directly dependent.

Although Belagavi is a 1000 year old city, almost 80% of the city’s area, including its vast Cantonment has been laid out in a planned manner. In 2014, Master Plan is approved with high degree of scope for mixed land use.

The planned Cantonment area, both in the East and the West of the city, has 80% of green cover that acts as a ‘lung’ for the city, oxygenating its air space and maintaining the air quality to desired level.

Belagavi, has a perennial water source that is expected to meet the demand for potable water till 2040.

Belagavi Corporation has successfully implemented 24 X 7 water supply project as a pilot in 10 wards on performance based management contract with reduction of NRW to 12%. Up scaling project to cover entire city been approved at a cost of 663 cr. It is the only ULB in the country to have augmented the surface water with ground water through rejuvenated open wells. The purified water is being supplied at a cost of just 0.75 rupees per kiloliter.

Belagavi Corporation has successfully implemented 24 X 7 water supply project as a pilot in 10 wards on performance based management contract with reduction of NRW to 12%. Upscaling project to cover entire city been approved at a cost of 663 cr. It is the only ULB in the country to have augmented the surface water with ground water through rejuvenated open wells. The purified water is being supplied at a cost of just 0.75 rupees per kiloletre,

Belagavi is an educational hub – with three Universities, six medical colleges and several technical, management and life science colleges. The Karnataka States’ apex university for technical education the Vishveshwarayya Technological University is located in Belagavi. All the above having combined human resources output of 20000 professionals per year.

The KLE Society, now in its 100th year – which runs 238 educational institutions in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Delhi is founded and based in Belagavi.

Belagavi is renowned for its healthcare with 10,120 beds – the highest per capita in all Karnataka provide primary to advanced medical care also aiming towards health tourism.

Rs. 350 cr is sanctioned by Govt of Karnataka for a new Super Speciality Hospital In Belagavi.

Belagavi is the destination to which the Karnataka State shifts the entire legislative and administrative machinary for two months of the year and the Government functions from the Suvarna Soudha complex which was completed in 2012.

Belagavi is hub for horticulture (vegetables, fruits etc.), floriculture, cash crops which are being transported to nearby areas like Goa.

The Bangalore – Dhabhol gas pipeline is accessible to the city for both domestic and industrial use. Availability of CNG gas from Sept 2016 and PNG gas from November 2016 for households.

A cricket stadium which can accommodate the international cricket matches is ready in Belagavi. The viewers gallery is under construction.

WEAKNESSES

Centralized commercial activity in old part of the city with degree of congestion.

Absence of ring road increased traffic congestion.

Only 48% of the city covered with sewerage network and absence of STP.

Intermittent water supply in 48 wards of the city.

OPPORTUNITIES

Making use of the available skilled manpower, 10000 acres of industrial area developed under NIMZ, crankshaft and camshaft turning, industrial castings and forging, machinery, hydraulics and for alumina and aluminium manufacturing has a good potential for becoming industrial hub in the region.

Due to the excellent medical facilities, educational facilities there is a good potential for development of health tourism, educational hub.

There is an excellent opportunity to develop a textile cluster.

Due to the strategic location of Belagavi, there is a good opportunity for growth of logistics parks and Container logistics center.

There is an opportunity to leverage the strength of rural Belagavi in Agricultural, Horticultural and dairy products.

Due to salubrious climate and rich heritage, there is a good potential for developing tourism industry centered on Forts, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Due to salubrious climate and historical places, very good potential for tourism industry taking advantage of nearby Goa.

With many medium and small scale industries, educational institutes and hospitals of national repute, mix of farm economy and dairy production, power loom textile industries,

Belagavi has a good potential for becoming a city which is economically becoming robust.

With cosmopolitan city culture with Kannada, Marathi, Konkani, Telugu, urdu and English speaking people living and celebrating different festivals and with different cultural programmes, Belagavi is culturally vibrant, and has an opportunity becoming a well integrated city.

Due to lot of untapped government owned open spaces, there is a good opportunity for planned unlocking of land in the city and its periphery to augment financial resources.

Building upon experience gained in formulating infrastructure projects on PPP format, there is a good opportunity to develop projects on PPP mode.

THREATS

Lengthy land acquisition procedures for development of a ring road is increasing the cost and delaying the project.